Redcaps
Redcaps The "Dh'haal Sidhashe" are a race of faerie beings, with the general appearance of humans, but possessing yellowish-gray skin, large mouths/ears/noses, sharp teeth, and gleaming red eyes. They are, by nature, a fierce people, having lived as a society of raiders in ancient times, preying on the humans, halflings, and dwarves near their homeland. Redcaps are voracious consumers of flesh, loving the taste of roasted, burned, and raw meats of all kinds. Give sufficient hunger, they can be provoked into feeding frenzies of gluttonous consumption once food appears, and this impulse can be hard for even the most civilized Redcap to restrain. The Redcaps eat only meat, certain herbs, and overripe fruit. Apricots, peaches, pears, berries and apples all are collected and eaten just as they start to rot, since the redcaps feel a little decay heightens the flavor. The game they pursue include antelope, stag, wild boar, monkeys, tapers, musk ox, small wild horses, and the occasional intelligent being. In ancient times, the Redcaps were widely known to capture and consume human and halfling victims (they claimed dwarves were "too tough & gamey" to be much enjoyed, and that elves taste "like moldy potatoes"). They would often wear a long, red, knit cap over their skullcap helmets, and it was rumored that these caps were dyed red with the blood of their conquered foes (hence their name). Recaps are not bound by the moral conventions of standard beings. Their actions, as both individuals and as a society, are highly influenced by the power of the Fae Court in their far off homeland in the Faerie Kingdom, and this court fluctuates between two factions every few decades. On one end of this divide is the "Seelie" faction, which are (mostly) benevolent Redcap royal families who behave in a good, just, and law-abiding manner. These forces simply wish for the Redcaps to remain locked away deep in their forests and avoid much interaction with men, elves, and dwarves. The opposite side of that coin are the "Unseelie" Redcaps, these being families committed to ambitious wars, murderous behavior, wild orgies, and the like. It is the Unseelie Redcaps whom in ancient times provoked their people to stream out of their home in Ashtar to raid into human settlements, killing, raping and even stealing humans to be brought back as slaves at best, and to be served at feasts at worst. The sides of this political divide trade power in a waxing and waning sort of flow, with one side holding power for a few generations, then slowly loosing ground to the other. Even organizations such as families, armies, or cities can shift slowly over time, but there are some which stay mostly steadfast to one side permanently (such as the Seelie community surrounding the fabled, beautiful Ashtar Gardens, or the Unseelie Lord Khal'Bhastatt the Jack and his legions of murderous bandits). Most average Redcaps view these 'partisans' as peculiar, however. To the average Redcap, it is as natural to shift slowly from Seelie to Unseelie as it is for the forests to shift from spring slowly to winter. They do not necessarily associate the Seelie side with "good" and the Unseelie with "evil". They are, rather, their own social constructs entirely. In some cases, it is better to be Seelie than Unseelie, and vice versa. Unseelie behavior includes wild creativity, passion, and impulsiveness, where Seelie behavior includes stubbornness, conservative thinking, and cautiousness. Horrible Beauty Redcaps might be mistaken for humans from a distance, but their differences are hard to miss up front. Many Redcaps have beastly features, like thick jaws, beady eyes, or patchy, warty skin. Strangely though, there are a number of Redcaps whom possess an almost unearthly beauty, not unlike elves. Such Redcaps aren't any more or less likely to be of the unruly Unseelie inclination, even if their appearance belies a peaceful, angelic visage.